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| Santa follows Frosty in the Pahala Christmas Parade, a tradition for more than 30 years. |
BIG ISLAND POLICE are reminding motorists that officers will conduct DUI checkpoints throughout the island during the holiday season. The effort is part of a national and statewide campaign called Drunk Driving: Over the Limit. Under Arrest. Dieter Blattler, the Police Department's traffic safety coordinator, said officers are reminding motorists of the consequences of impaired driving. Alcohol was involved in at least 12 of the 27 traffic deaths so far this year, amounting to 45 percent of the total. By comparison 13 of the 22 fatalities recorded for all of last year, or 59 percent, involved alcohol use.
THE PUBLIC IS REMINDED to participate in an anonymous Community Satisfaction Survey for the Hawai'i Police Department through the end of the month. The internet survey, which began December 1, will be open until 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, at www.hawaiipolice.com. It takes about five minutes to complete and is limited to one survey per computer. Participants are able to enter detailed comments and suggestions at the end of the survey. The respondents' IP addresses are not stored in the survey results. The responses will be collected and compiled by an outside source. After the survey period, results will be posted on the Police Department's website.
SIXTY-TWO YEAR OLD Pahala man Ernest C. Oleyte, who was reported missing to police has been found located. He rides a red 2008 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was found in Hilo.
GAME BIRD SEASON is open during the holidays and in January through the third Sunday of the month. Game birds include pheasants, quails, partridges, francolins, sandgrouse, doves, turkeys and peafowl. Licenses can be purchased online, at state offices in Hilo or at the Nature Conservancy office in Hilo.
AFTER CHIRSTMAS you can drop your trees at the Wai‘ōhinu transfer station from Dec. 26 through Jan.16. Trees should be free of all decorations, lights, tinsel and ornaments – no artificial or flocked trees allowed. The County of Department of Environmental Management and Department of Public Works are teaming up to support Treecycling. Public Works will provide on-site tree chipping at some locations around the island.
The county also reminds everyone to recycle Kadomatsu decorations, normally a combination of bamboo, pine and flowers, a tradition that began 600 years ago in Japan as a way of offering luck in the newyear.
By chipping the trees and making the material available for use in gardens, the County can divert thousands of trees from landfills and add valuable mulch to island soils. In addition, it reduce illegal dumping of holiday trees.
The County’s Treecycling Program and additional recycling and solid waste programs are available on the website at www.HawaiiZeroWaste.org. For further information, contact the County Solid Waste Division at 961-8339.